Did anyone else notice the curious ads in this Sunday's Styles Section of the Times?

It starts on page 10: "Jimmy Choo SALE" in a plain white block. Below that: "John Varvatos SALE."

Page 11: "Bottega Veneta SALE." [Editor's Note: Bottega Veneta has sales?!]

Page 12: "Mulberry HOLIDAY SALE, 50% off Select Merchandise."

And that was when we knew this whole sale thing's officially jumped down the rabbit hole.

Now go to it (if you can). Because you know being able to say you bought a Knot bag on discount is like being able to say you did a Hail Mary play in the last minute of your High School state football game, and came out a winner.

Remember Entermodal? The Portland-based brand of leather goods we discovered on a trip to Pas de Deux?

Well they’re heading east with a pop-up version of their factory, smack in the middle of Odin. And by factory, we mean designer Larry Olmstead’s 100-year old stitching bench, custom tool set and huge selection of leathers.

The rest of the design team will be cutting and sewing Odin’s holiday order while fulfilling any custom ideas you can throw their way. Then they’ll debut their Spring 09 collection early and exclusively at Odin.

If you want to watch them make your bag by hand, or grab a last minute Christmas present, they’ll be at Odin, (199 Lafayette St), from December 12th through 14th.

And if you’re on the West Coast, you’ll have to wait til Spring when they make their way to Fred Segal.

Hey there. Are you looking for a job? Do you consider Coco Rocha’s change of hair color to be news? If so, you might want to check out this e-mail we just got:

“Modelinia, launching in early 2009, is a web destination into the world of fashion, beauty, travel, and entertainment through the eyes of supermodels. We are seeking a highly motivated and enthusiastic freelance researcher who lives, eats, breathes models and is meticulous about details, facts and spelling.”

E-mail Bianca directly at modelinia[at]aol.com.

You’re welcome.

This week’s Downtown Express includes an article on the growing art gallery/bar scene in the Lower East Side of NYC.

They announce that in one of these galleries, Gallery Nine 5, will be a an exhibition called “Makeover” starting this Friday, featuring the work of artist Sali Taylor, who’s created “montages of images of contemporary fashion models, female iconography and art history.”

An excerpt, at left.

Looks like we’re not the only ones enthralled by Caroline’s northward pursuits. The piece is entitled “Jump”, and we sincerely hope Sali considers Kriss Kross for his soundtrack.

“Now, when someone admires my dress, I never say it is by Balenciaga or Bottega Veneta. I tell them it’s an old Phillip Lim. This neatly conveys the message that, just like everybody else, I’ve cut back on shopping and am happy to wear something by a modest label.” —From The Guardian’s story on on-line shopping.

One of the most frequent questions I got asked while working in retail was, “Why do the ripped jeans cost so much more?”

Well, it’s because once you enter the realm of ripped designer denim, each pair is individually stressed. As in, someone sits there with sand paper and various tools to guarantee they look as genuine as possible. But regardless of how much work goes into them, we’d never advocate buying pre-ripped denim.

Why? Natalie says the very idea makes her want to re-introduce “tool” into her vocabulary. And though I have not one but two pairs of extremely ripped jeans in my wardrobe, the holes and tears are due to my penchant for falling, not my willingness to shell out $300 for purposefully destroyed clothes. And apparently the thought of pre-distressed anything, whether it be jeans or furniture, has always been a pet peeve of Faran’s.

But the best of the denim brands - Current/Elliot, Genetic, Seven - keep making them which means that people still buy them in an attempt to emulate a rockstar-ness they think can be bought in the Meatpacking District.

Do you?

The reports on Black Friday are in, and it looks like the day wasn’t the retail bust everyone feared. According to ShopperTrak (it’s a sort of newswire for retail information), nationwide Black Friday sales were up 3% compared to last year, with the South seeing the best improvement (3.4%) and the Northeast seeing the worst (2.6%). And according to WWD, the Macy’s in Herald Square drew 5,000 shoppers out of bed at 5am for their unprecedented discounts.

But even though they also report that Target drew lines outside their store as early as 4am, there have also been (less official) reports that at least one Target was “depressingly empty.”

Our data? We were out on Black Friday in Soho, and here’s what we saw: No bigger a crowd than usual on Broadway, and barely trafficked stores to the east. Upon entering a certain (read: super expensive) boutique on Prince Street, the first thing the shopkeeper said: “Everything’s 20% off, but if you see something you really like let me know. I’m wheeling and dealing today.”

So we’re wondering: Are all these reports of massive shopping true? Or are some people just trying to raise our confidence with (perhaps) inflated reports? What did you see for yourself on Friday? Or were the only things you saw leftovers and Love Actually?

The best thing about Victoria Beckham is that she doesn’t ever take herself seriously.

If you watched even two minutes of her Coming to America special, or have heard her laugh front row, or have seen even one of her Marc ads, you know she’s giggling behind those bug-eyed glasses. And you know she had a ball making this video for her new collection of Roland Mouret-inspired dresses.

She, and a couple of younger girls, flit around a very English looking home hiding behind curtains and tables, pulling tights, sweaters and lamp shades over their heads, laying across chairs and spinning on their very high heels all the while wearing the body conscious zippered dress Posh showed in New York this past September. There’s nothing stuffy or pretentious or even very high fashion about it, just a few girls playing dress up and running around the house.

I’ve watched it three times: I want all the dresses and Posh to be my new best friend.

There’s been a lot of discussion, on this site and others, about the popping price bubble with luxury goods.

It hasn’t happened yet, even though fewer people can buy designer products right now, and even though $1,000 for shoes is more ridiculous than hunting moose in the White House.

But those seeking Chanel and Gucci on a budget may still be in luck, at least in one department: vintage clothing.

Though Burberry trenches still hover at $1,000 at Barneys, and Rodarte gowns go for $5,000 at Bergdorf, we’ve seen near-plummeting prices on bags, shoes, and dresses at second-hand stores around New York City. This weekend alone, we spied a Botkier bag for $80, a Chanel jacket for $200, and various starlet jeans for $20 - $40 each. Hunting around eBay for Luella and Anna Sui shows a similar trend - as in, you might actually be able to buy it.

Those of you in small towns are like, “So? I bought a Pucci dress at a second hand store this week for $3!” And for that, we will always envy you… sigh.

If you thought the magazine industry’s problems only existed in the US, here’s some info for your news diet:

Glamour just folded before it could even launch in Australia.

The magazines was licensed from Conde Nast by News Limited (the Rupert Murdoch-owned subsidiary of News Corporation with a big presence in Australia) but has been shut down before their planned March debut issue could start, due to the “downturn in advertising and falling magazine sales.”

Fifteen staffers are affected by this, and the launch is postponed “indefinitely.”